Maze of Life
by Wearethedancers
Summary: A story of if Will had met Louisa before his accident. The 1st chapter is kind of heavy, will get fluffier as it goes. I'm definitely not a writer, but figured I'd try it out. Will probably be either four or five chapters. 8/13- Ahhh sorry it took so long to update. I hate when people do that. Thanks for all the reviews! It's going to be a bit of a slow lead up.
1. Chapter 1

" Jesus." Will Traynor looked over at his alarm clock that read 11pm and sighed. He had been trying to sleep for a couple of hours now, he had a meeting with a client at the crack of dawn, but sleep wasn't coming easy tonight.

It was a cool summer night, a good night for a walk, or a quick jog, which he hoped might tire him out enough that he could get a few hours of rest.

"Guess a jog it is." He said out loud to himself, throwing on his sweat pants before heading out the door.

Will Traynor was 22 years old, and already a success story. He was born from money, his parents owned the castle that overlooked the small town that he planned to escape soon. He was fresh out of university, and had snagged a job buying and selling businesses, which he was pleased to find that he was extremely successful at. His bosses had been shocked by how much money he had made them in such a short amount of time, and he had already been moved up to a higher level position.

He was living in a flat of his own, away from the suffocation of his overbearing parents, but he still felt as if he was under their thumb living in this town, where everyone knew his name, and he couldn't wait to escape.

He had decided to take a five minute jog to the maze, make his way through there and head back home. It wouldn't kill too much time, but it would at least exert some of his pent up energy.

The maze had always been sort of an escape for him. When he was younger and he couldn't listen to his parents arguing anymore, he would go there for hours, exploring all the different passage ways, getting lost, trying to find the quickest way out. By the time he was a teenager, he could find his way out with his eyes closed.

He was getting ready to enter, when he heard a noise, someone crying, a woman. He held back for a second, she sounded far away, but he definitely knew she was crying. He proceeded cautiously. He had heard of people pretending to be hurt or lost as a tactic to rob someone, though he didn't have money on him, he definitely wasn't looking for a fight. He followed through the trails slowly, he could still hear her crying, saying something that he couldn't quiet make out. He walked a little faster, the thought that he might get robbed left his mind, whoever it was sounded really hurt. He stopped when he finally got to where he could hear her clearly sobbing, she was just around the corner, and then he heard male voices, laughing, taunting someone, and as he turned the corner, he heard something extremely vulgar.

Will had seen a lot of things throughout his life, but never anything like what he had stumbled upon tonight. When he turned the corner, there was four men standing in a half circle, one on the ground, on top of someone, he was stripped down to boxers. And that's when he saw the girl, she was sobbing, naked, pinned underneath this man.

" What the fuck are you doing? What the fuck are you doing?" Will yelled.

He caught the men off guard, and the four standing in the circle hauled off, looking terrified, the one on top of the girl scrambled off, grabbing his shirt, and running as fast as he could away from them, before Will was about to grab hold of him.

The girl screamed, and grabbed at her dress on the ground, scrambling back against the hedge of the maze.

"Oh my God." Will whispered. He wasn't quite sure what he had stumbled across, but he knew that it was really bad.

The girl had managed to pull her dress back over her head, and had curled up into a ball, shrinking away from him.

" Are you okay?" He didn't know what to say. He knew she wasn't.

She shook her head no, he could see that she was shaking violently. She wouldn't move or look at him.

" Hey, I promise I'm not going to hurt you. Let's get out of here, I know the way."

She still didn't say anything or move, he reached to touch her shoulder and she pulled back quickly.

"I'm swear I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to get you somewhere safe. I want to make sure you're going to be okay." She looked up at him, and he could see how young she looked. Probably fresh out of high school. Even through the bruised up face, and blood shot eyes he could see how beautiful she was. Dark brown hair, and blue eyes that shined back at him through the moonlight. She was terrified, he knew, and he was still in shock.

"I'm Will." He said softly, wondering if giving her his name might make her feel less like he was one of the guys who was hurting her.

" Are they gone?" She asked in a whisper.

"Yes. They're not going to come back. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you anymore."

She looked up at him for a long moment, seemingly trying to decide if she could trust him or not. He felt like crying. He had never seen anything so violent before, so awful. She must have been terrified, and he shuddered to wonder what would have happened to her if he hadn't showed up tonight.

" You promise you won't hurt me?" She asked softly, her voice breaking.

" I promise. No one else is going to hurt you."

She nodded her head, tears spilling fast out of her eyes, She reached her arm out, and he helped lift her off of the ground.

" Do you know where your shoes are?" He asked glancing around.

She shook her head no, looking almost ashamed.

" Hey, that's okay. Let me carry you."

She hesitated, but leaned into him, and he lifted her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face against him. He could smell the alcohol on her, mixed with a flowery perfume. He wondered how she had got here and if she knew the men that had hurt her, but he didn't want to upset her more than she already was.

When they finally reached the end of the maze he let her down onto the sidewalk.

" I live just a few minutes from here, come with me, we can get my car and I'll take you to the hospital."

She shook her head violently looking horrified.

" No hospital. Please no hospital."

" But.. you're hurt. We need the police." She looked down.

" I just want to go to bed. Just want this to be a nightmare." She cried.

He felt sick. He also wished this was a nightmare. He didn't know what to do and felt utterly lost.

" I know. I know. I am so sorry. Don't you think you need to see a doctor?"

She shook her head no again.

" They didn't-they hurt me- they made me kiss them and they roughed me up- but they hadn't fully gone through with it yet. You saved me."

He shuddered.

" Do you mind if I take a shower at your place? Just get cleaned up a bit.. I can't go home like this. My dad can't find out. He will kill someone."

" They deserve it."

" But, yes you can come to my place. It's just up the road here."

They were interrupted by the sound of a group of drunks walking up the street across from them laughing and carrying on. He looked over on high alert. He almost prayed it was them, he would've killed them. She quickly reached for his hand, lacing her fingers in his, and stood close to him.

" It's not them. You don't have to worry, you're safe with me."

She looked into his eyes and nodded, hers glistening with tears.

They were quiet on the walk home, she stayed close to his side, her palms sweaty against his.

" What's your name?" He asked her as they approached his door.

" Louisa Clarke. And your Will right?"

" Yes. Will Traynor."

She paused for a second and looked up at him. He waited for her to say something, but she didn't. His name followed him everywhere in this town.

He opened the door for her and followed her in.

" Here let me get you some clothes to change into."

He grabbed her a t-shirt and sweatpants, when he came back in the hallway she was standing against the door waiting.

She gave him a small smile that didn't reach her eyes.

" Thank you Will. Thank you for everything."

He was surprised when she reached up putting her arms around his neck, he instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her close to him.

He didn't even know her, but he just wanted to comfort her, to let her know that it was going to be okay. That he would make sure she was safe tonight.

She held on to him for a long time, and he didn't dare pull away from her, he would let her hold on all night if she needed to. He rubbed her back gently.

" It's going to be okay." He whispered leaning his head against hers.

She squeezed him a little tighter briefly and let go, heading into the bathroom.

He needed a drink bad. But he was afraid to take a shot of anything. He didn't want her to think that he was drunk, or going to do anything to her. So he sat on his bed and flicked on the tv, not paying any attention to what was actually on. He quickly sent an email to his boss and his client, rescheduling to the following day. He had told them it was a family emergency, and being who his family was he knew they wouldn't question him.

He could hear her crying in the shower, he felt so bad for her. He didn't know what to do though. She was so young, and now her whole view of men would probably be tainted.

45 minutes later she came out of the bathroom, dressed in his clothes, her hair was down and he could see how long it was, how truly beautiful of a girl she was.

" You alright?"

" I'm better now. Thank you. Thank you for everything again."

" Is there anything I can get you? Something to drink, eat anything?"

" No, thank you. I'm okay."

" Do you want me to drive you home now?"

She let out a sigh looking at the ground, he could tell she didn't want to go home, her parents would probably ask questions if she came home this late, being driven by some guy they had never met before, in clothes that weren't her own.

" You don't have to leave if you don't want. You are more than welcome to stay here for the night."

She smiled, still not reaching her eyes.

" Thank you so much. I'm just not ready to see my parents yet."

" How old are you? Will they be calling the police to look for you?"

" I'm eighteen. They think I am out with my friends. I was really.. We got drunk with some men at the bar, and went to the maze to hang out, next thing I knew they were gone, and I was still there."

" Some friends."

" It was my fault though. Honestly. I was being a terrible flirt, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. Shouldn't have been drinking with strange men."

He felt himself getting a little angry with her.

" It wasn't your fault. It was theirs. Five men try to take advantage of one woman. Being violent to her when she is vulnerable. You could've been passed out drunk, and any decent man would have helped you home, or given you a safe place to sleep it off. I would have never done that to you, even if I was drunk myself. Please don't blame yourself. They are scum."

Her face was a deep red now, and he could see that she was on the verge of crying again.

" Hey, do you want to watch a movie with me? I'm not going to be sleeping tonight anyway."

She nodded and sat down on the bed next to him.

They stayed a wake for a long time, not saying anything, he looked over at her after a while and saw that her eyes were getting heavy.

She gave him a small smile.

" Promise you're not a serial killer?"

He chuckled. "Promise."

And she fell asleep then snuggled under the blanket. Will stayed a wake for a while afterwards, he couldn't stop thinking about the incident, about what could have happened. He started to notice her turning a little in her sleep, beads of sweat lining her forehead. He reached for her hand.

" Hey its okay. Your safe."

She looked up at him, relieved, and nodded, scooting herself closer to him so that they were touching, hands still intertwined. Only after she had fallen back asleep, did he finally let himself rest.


	2. Chapter 2

t had been exactly one month since Will had heard from Louisa Clarke, though he thought of her constantly. The morning after he had found her he woke up and she wasn't next to him anymore. He felt so weird, displaced even, he sat up putting his head in his hands. He had wanted to talk to her before she left, to make sure that she was going to be okay.

He sighed and got up, ready to get in the shower, when he realized that his house smelled strongly of bacon and pancakes. He walked out to his kitchen and found her hovered over the stove, humming happily, swaying her hips side to side.

" Louisa?"

She jumped, clutching her hand against her heart.

" Oh my God. Will. You scared the piss out of me."

" What are you doing?"

" Well I thought I'd make you breakfast to thank you for everything you did for me last night."

She looked a lot different then the girl that he had found last night. She had changed back into her dress, her cheeks were full of color, eyes brighter, and a smile on her face.

" You didn't have to do that. Anyone would have done that for you."

She shook her head.

" No, no they wouldn't have. Actually, I'm pretty sure that most people might have walked away and left me to my fate."

" Well most people are total assholes then aren't they?"

" Or you're just really brave."

He shook his head with a smirk.

" Well this looks wonderful. Are you going to stay to eat it with me?" He asked.

" Only if you want me to."

" Wouldn't have it any other way Ms. Clarke."

They sat down together and he realized she was quite a chatty person. She filled the conversation with questions for him about his job, his travels, his ambitions. He asked her about what she planned to do now that she was done with high school, and her face flushed a deep red.

" Well I just got a job actually at the Buttered Bun in town. So I think I'll just be working there for a while. Help out my family a bit."

" No plans for University?"

She shook her head no. He could tell she was sad about that. But decided not to pry into it. He knew nothing about her family, or their struggles, and he couldn't imagine having to feel like he couldn't have gone to University to try and support his family.

She looked up from her plate and gave him a small smile.

" Well, I probably should be heading out now. What you did for me.. I will never be able to repay you. But if you ever need anything. I mean anything really. Please don't hesitate to ask me."

" I would just like you to stay safe."

She smiled.

" I will. I promise."

She stood up, tossing her plate in the trash.

" How will I know that?"

" Give me your number. I will keep in touch."

"Here." He walked to his coffee table, grabbing a business card for her.

" Thank you. Thank you again Will. Really. What you did.. You saved my life."

She reached around his waist, hugging him tightly. He hesitated, but hugged her back gently. Honestly, he didn't want her to leave, and he wasn't sure why.

" Are you sure that you're going to be okay?"

" Yes. One hundred percent." She gave him a wide smile, and though he had never seen her before last night, he imagined that when she used to smile her blue eyes would light up, captivating everyone. But they didn't now, her eyes didn't smile, and he wasn't sure if she even knew if she'd be okay.

She walked towards the door, and looked back at him one more time, giving him a quick nod, and was gone before he could think of anything else to say.

It was Wills lunch break, and he found himself standing in front of the Buttered Bun. He had walked back and forth past it several times already.

" I'm a stalker." He said out loud. An older woman happened to pass him at the same time, snapping her neck towards him as the words came out of his mouth. She gave him a horrified look, speeding up her face to get away from him.

" Oh not you. I didn't mean that." Will yelled after her, though she didn't turn around anyway.

He didn't know why he was even still thinking about Louisa, but he was. She never texted or called, and though she had no obligation to, he had just wished she would have. She had told him she worked here, and he had decided he would stop by just to ease his mind about everything, but he also didn't want her to think that he was a stalker, or had any bad intentions towards her.

He took a deep breath pushing through the door, half expecting to see her standing at the counter in front of him. But she wasn't. He looked around and sighed, the only person who was working was an older man he figured to be the owner.

" Can I help you young man?" He asked.

" Actually yes. Does Louisa Clarke work here?"

" Yes, she does. Not in today though I'm afraid. She's been out for a bit. Her grandmother passed away. She's been taking it hard so I've heard. Been gone for about two weeks now."

" Jesus. Really?"

" I'm afraid so. She told me she would be back Monday though. Would you like me to tell her you stopped by?"

" No, thanks. That's alright."

Will walked back to work, but couldn't focus the rest of the day. He figured he should let this go. She had been through a lot, but she obviously had family that cared about her, maybe she even had a boyfriend. What was it his place to pry into her life if she didn't want him there. So he decided to let the thoughts of her drift out of his mind.

" Want to go for a drink?"

His co-worker and best friend Rupert poked his head into the door, a sly smile on his face.

Will couldn't remember the last time that he turned down a drink, but that seemed like the last thing he wanted tonight.

" I'll pass tonight. Got a lot of work left to do."

Rupert rolled his eyes.

" Getting bloody old aren't you Will? Alright, but your missing out. Heard there's a beautiful girl that's got her eye on you. Also heard she may or may not be making an appearance at the pub tonight."

" I'll take a rain check."

" Fine. See you tomorrow then."

He stayed at the office for two more hours before realizing that dusk was setting in. He packed up his stuff and left, walking out into the brisk night air. He worked way too much, he knew that, he probably didn't even have to work if he didn't want to. Could've lived off of his parents fortune forever, but his desire to get out of their shadow had turned him into a workaholic. He needed a vacation, badly. He was dreaming of the place he would go next when he heard a soft voice calling out his name.

" Will? Will!"

He looked over and standing across the street there she was. Long dark hair curled at the ends, a bright pink sun dress and neon yellow high heels.

" Will. It's me Louisa." She called to him waving, a big smile spread across her face.

" Hello, Louisa Clarke." He said, trying to mask how surprised he was.

She jogged towards him across the street, tripping slightly before she got to him.

" Sorry. Just a little clumsy." She giggled, and quickly reached out, pulling him into a hug.

" It's so good to see you Will. Really." She looked up into his eyes, making his stomach ache a bit. There was something about her eyes.

" It's good to see you too. I wondered about you.. if you were okay."

" I'm sorry. I really should have rang you. It's been a really bad month. Really bad."

" I'm sorry to hear that Louisa. I hope things are turning around now."

She lifted her shoulders slightly, glancing into the distance.

" Me too.. But hey. Would you like to get a bite to eat with me? I haven't gotten dinner yet, and I could use the company."

" Yeah. I'd like that."

They ended up eating at a small cafe, one that she loved but he had never been to before. She told him about how her grandma had passed two weeks after she had been attacked. How she hadn't wanted to leave the house, and hadn't told anyone about what happened to her because she didn't want to make things worse for her family.

He listened intently as she talked, biting her lip every once in a while, staring down at her untouched plate. He wanted so badly to hold her then, to tell her that she could've come to him. But he didn't. He wasn't sure why he felt this way towards someone he didn't even know, but he did. She was different, and he was drawn to her, wanted to help her.

" Oh, Will. I'm so sorry. I've been going on so much about myself. How have you been?"

" Don't be sorry. I've been fine. Just working. Planning my vacation."

" Where are you going?"

" I'm taking a month off to travel Europe. Not sure exactly where I'll end up. But I'd like to see and do as much as possible.

" That sounds amazing." She said smiling. " The farthest I've been is to London."

" What?! You're telling me you've never been out of London. You cannot be serious Clarke."

She giggled.

" I'm dead serious. My family isn't much for traveling."

" Well you have to get out of here. Go see the world, go anywhere. Don't get stuck here though."

She smirked.

" Well your still here too Traynor."

" Not for long. I'm giving myself one more year here, build myself up a bit more, and then I'm gone."

The waitress came by then, handing him the check.

" Can I walk you home?"

" I'd like that."

They took the long way back to her house, getting lost in conversation about the adventures he had been on. Sky diving, cliff jumping, cross country skiing, mountain climbing. She asked him a million questions, genuinely interested. He thought about how most women he came across seemed only interested in his bank account, and it was so easy to talk to her, he didn't want to stop.

" Would you like to come in?" She asked when they got to her doorstep. " My family is away for the weekend, so its just me here."

He nodded.

They sat on her living room couch talking for hours about nothing and everything. Eventually she turned on an old horror movie, and they stopped talking. He didn't notice she was asleep until her head rested against his shoulder. He waited for a while, taking in the silence and her soft features in the glow of the television light. He figured he should go home now, and started to shift from underneath her slowly. Her eyes fluttered as he moved.

" Hey Clarke. I should probably head home now, let you get some rest."

" Will." She whispered, reaching for his hand.

"Yeah?"

" Please stay. I haven't slept for a month. But I think I could if you were here tonight."

He smiled at her, relaxing back against the couch.

" Yeah, I'll stay."


	3. Chapter 3

* So sorry it has taken me forever to update this story! Thanks for all of your kind reviews. I will do my best to update again this week. *

It didn't take long for Louisa Clarke to make her place in Will's life, or his heart. After the night they spent sleeping on her parents couch, he found himself spending a lot of his spare time in her company. She was beautiful and different, and she was changing him.

She would come over a lot at night, when she couldn't sleep and they would watch movies together, play card games, or eat decadent desserts that she would bring over from her job at the cafe. Now that winter was beginning to set in on weekend nights they would bundle up in thick coats, and her in wildly patterned leggings and boots, and take long walks, always staying a good distance from the maze. She would beg him to tell her more stories about his adventures, and he would smile as she talked about all of the crazies at the cafe, or the new outfit she bought from some overseas company.

Sometimes they would lay in his backyard and stare up at the stars, not saying anything, but reveling in the silence and the feeling of the cold wind against their faces. On these nights he would catch himself stealing glances at her that lasted a little too long, or wishing that she would come a little bit closer, that he could take her hand in his and tell her that he was really glad that she was in his life. But he didn't. For reasons that he didn't quite understand he couldn't work up the courage to tell her that he had feelings for her. He had never had this problem with a woman before. All he had to do was flash a smile, and give a compliment, and they would be in his bed the same night, gone the next morning. But Louisa, she was different. He didn't want her to go, didn't want to mess things up, so he kept his feelings to himself.

" Will, what do you want for Christmas?"

The broken silence startled him a bit. There was supposed to be a meteor shower tonight so despite the freezing cold they had laid out a blanket to watch it, though he hadn't seen anything for an hour and was half asleep.

" Nothing."

" What do you mean nothing? Everyone wants something for Christmas."

" Well, sorry to disappoint Clarke, but I'm not a Christmas kind of guy."

She rolled her eyes at him, turning onto her side to stare him down.

" Don't be such a grinch."

" Clarke, really I have everything I need. I don't want anything for Christmas. To me, it's just another day. I didn't have one of those families that felt the need to celebrate, or show affection, have a special dinner, or any of that nonsense." He smirked, but it was true.

Her face softened a bit, and he felt a little bit bad about being so negative.

" Well I'm getting you something anyway."

" Oh, yeah? What's that?"

" A new attitude."

She threw her head back laughing like she was the funniest person in the world, and he couldn't help but smile at seeing her happy.

He knew he loved her then, in that moment. With the moon shining on her face, her nose red from the cold, hair half shoved under a beanie with hearts all over it, and that gorgeous smile spread wide across her face. He thought about telling her, imagined leaning over and kissing her, and wondered if she would tell him that she felt the same, and ask what took him so long. But he didn't. He was being ridiculous. He had only known her for five months, and in all of that time she had never once given him any hint that she wanted anything more than what they had. And though it made his stomach ache to think that, he wanted her to be happy, so he'd keep silent.

" So let me get this straight.. You've been spending every free night and weekend with this girl for the last what four months, and you're not sleeping with her?"

" Christ, Rupert. No I'm not."

" Do you want to be?"

" Is this the inquisition?"

" Well, I mean you used to go out with us every night after work, and had something ridiculous planned every weekend. And now.. I haven't seen you for four months."

" We see each other everyday."

" Yeah, you know what I mean Will." Rupert said, rolling his eyes. " I've never seen you so entranced over some woman before. Especially one you're not sleeping with."

" We are just friends. Am I only allowed to be friends with you Rupert?" He smirked.

" Yeah, you didn't know?"

Will chuckled, shaking his head.

" Anyway, you know that girl Alicia from the pub has been asking about you for months now. Have you seen her? You'd be a fool not to take her out."

" Will that keep you quiet for a while?"

" Maybe for one night."

" Fuck. Fine. I'll take her out. Then that's it. No more prying into my romantic life."

"Or lack thereof." Rupert interrupted.

" Yeah, Whatever."

Alicia was a beautiful woman. Anyone could see that. She had legs that went on for days, long blonde hair, dark red lips that hid perfect teeth and a breathy voice. But her beauty couldn't hide the personality and Will couldn't stop shifting in his seat. Impatient, and exhausted.

" So, how many more years before you think you'll be a millionaire?" She chuckled, trying to make it seem as if she were joking, but Will knew that she wasn't. All night she had discussed money, and some expensive trip that she was longing to go on, once she found someone to come with her. That was likely all that she wanted. Money and sex. He found that most women he went on dates with did, though he didn't mind the sex part, it was all a bit shallow, and he hadn't realized how much he was tired of all of it until Louisa had come along.

He glanced down at his phone in his lap. She had texted him earlier asking if he'd like to take a drive somewhere this evening, but he had told her he was busy, and she had only responded " Oh. Okay. See you this weekend then?" He really just wanted this night to end, to call Louisa and tell her that he'd like to go on that drive, wherever she wanted. " Sorry :/" He typed quickly to her.

" Business deal?" Alicia interrupted.

" Something like that. Sorry Alicia. Where were we?"

" You were just telling me that you were heading on vacation soon. For a month you said, to Paris?"

" Ah, yes. Not just Paris, going to make my way around a bit. Hike some mountains, swim in the ocean. Basically anything I can find."

" Paris sounds wonderful. It's been ages since I've been there. Are you going with anyone?"

" I believe it's just me at the moment."

" Sounds lonely."

Will was just about to respond when he saw the front door of the restaurant open, and Louisa walking in with her mum and dad.

" Fuck." He muttered.

" Something wrong?"

" No. Nothing sorry."

It took a minute before she made eye contact with him, a smile forming on her lips, until she looked at Alicia, and her smile quickly lessened, her expression changing, he wasn't sure to what emotion exactly.

" Hey, Louisa." He said softly as she walked by.

" Hi, Will." She didn't look into his eyes as she walked by, and he felt really bad. Sick to his stomach actually.

He could see Alicia giving him a strange look out of the corner of his eye. He was pretty sure she was annoyed, and probably had every right to be. He hadn't been much of a date, and it was quickly going further south.

" Ready to head out then?" She asked sharply.

" Yeah."

As he stood up helping her put her coat back on, she quickly leaned forward kissing him on the mouth.

" Thanks for dinner Will."

He knew his face was a dark red now, and he glanced over at Louisa to make sure that she hadn't seen that. But she had, she quickly looked down when she caught his eye. Her face a deeper red now then he imagined his was. He couldn't be out of this place fast enough.

Once the cool night air hit his face he could finally breathe again. This couldn't have been worse if he had tried.

" Back to your place?"

" Actually, Alicia. I'm really not feeling well, I'm sorry. Let me walk you home."

She looked pissed, eyes widening in surprise that he was not going to try and take her to bed tonight.

" No thanks. I'll catch a cab. Goodnight Will." She sauntered away, with one more sideways glance before she hailed down the cab, as if he were going to stop her.

" Fuck." He muttered, roughly pushing his hands through his hair as she was driven away. He took one more glance into the restaurant, at Louisa and her family. Her mum and dad were both smiling, chatting animatedly. But he could see even from the outside, that her face was still a shade of red, her eyes on her plate, pushing her food in circles. He knew he had really fucked up.


	4. Chapter 4

Will went home that night feeling awful. He knew that he had hurt Louisa, which is the last thing that he would have ever wanted, and all of it was for nothing. The date was terrible, and he felt a bit bad about that as well. It wasn't Alicia's fault that his heart was already invested in someone else. He shouldn't have even taken her out in the first place. She was nice enough, and he probably would have been into her, had he not met Louisa, but he felt differently now.

He pulled out his phone checking to see if she had left him any messages, but she hadn't. He decided to send her a quick message. Maybe he could make this right.

" Hey Louisa... Would you like to come over? Feeling like I might enjoy that drive tonight."

He wanted her to know that he wasn't with Alicia and that he wouldn't be spending the night with her.

He wondered if maybe he were misreading things. Maybe she wasn't upset about him being with Alicia, or her kissing him. But maybe she was mad that he didn't tell her that he already had plans when this was typically the night they would spend together. A voice in his head told him it was more than that though, that the look in her eyes was one of sadness and hurt. He remembered back to when he first met her and how that look was permanently engraved in her face for months. But how recently she was always bright eyed and smiling. He hoped he hadn't ruined that again.

He waited for a while, staring at the phone, hating himself. He had never been like this before with anyone. He hadn't slept with anyone, or really had any intimacy in months. Not since before the night in the maze. Alicia was the type of woman he typically wouldn't have thought twice about taking to bed, even if she was all about the money. But here he was staring at his phone like a teenage girl, for a woman that had practically put him in the friend zone.

Finally the phone vibrated.

" I'm feeling kind of tired now. Think I will just head to bed."

" Are you sure Clarke? We could stay in tonight. Just watch a movie or something?"

" Sorry Will. I really can't tonight. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

He sighed and tossed his phone down. He laid back in bed, wondering how he could make this right.

Two weeks had gone by and it was obvious that Louisa was avoiding him like the plague. She had barely returned his messages, and he hadn't seen her once. Even though they weren't together, it felt like a break up, and hurt worse than any he had experienced. He thought about going to the Buttered Bun, to tell her that he was sorry and that he was in love with her and to please come back. But as much as he wanted to, he couldn't face the fact that she might turn him down for good, he would rather live in denial that she'd show up knocking at his door any night now at around 2am, with chocolate croissants and that bright smile and all of this would be behind them.

It was getting dark out, Rupert had left the office hours ago to go to a club and had already left him at least fifteen text messages and had called several times. When it rang again as he was packing up to go he picked it up in frustration.

" What Rupert?"

" Look. I know that you're in some kind of depression or whatever.. But that girl that you're so wrapped up in is in the club right now with drink in hand. So maybe if you play your cards right she'll come back to you."

" You're lying."

" Really Will? I'm not I'll even send a picture to you. She's standing at the bar."

" No. Don't take a picture. I'll come out."

He wasn't quite sure if he believed Rupert or not, because he didn't imagine ever seeing Louisa in a club. Especially after what she had gone through. But he figured he would check it out anyway. Being out might be better than moping around the house.

The subway ride to the club was only a fifteen minute ride, but felt like an eternity. He stood against a pole wondering if he should even really go. After all, she was the one who was ignoring him.

When they finally made it to his stop he stepped out right in front of the club, hesitated, and tried to turn back, but it was too late. Rupert had already seen him and was waving him down.

"Will-I-Am" Will's co-worker Freddie who was clearly drunk called out his name, Rupert laughing next to him.

" Christ." He murmured under his breath. A typical evening with drunk Freddie and Rupert was usually quite a good time, but he really was not in the mood for this right now.

" Will, your woman is inside. Let's go buy her some drinks before someone else does." Rupert said, waving his arm to motion them back into the club.

" Please don't act like an arse. Please."

Rupert laughed and slapped him on the back, "I'll try."

The club was loud, and packed full. He found it hard to believe that Rupert had even been able to spot Louisa, who he had only seen in photos, out of all these people. But it only took one scan around the room, and his eyes landed on her instantly. She wasn't hard to pick out of the crowd. Her hair was up in a high bun, she wore a polka dot sweater, against a striped dress, with neon pink tights, and those yellow heels she always had on.

Luckily Rupert and Freddie had been distracted by some of the women dancing in the club, none of which he prayed, were Alicia. He stood back for a second watching her, she was alone, stirring a drink in her hand. He missed her, God how he missed her.

He thought back to a night several months after they had met. There was a knock at his door, late, after midnight. He opened the door and she was there her hands knotted together looking down.

" Louisa? You alright?"

" Hey Will. Yeah I'm alright." She brushed her hair away from her face nervously. " I just had a nightmare.. and I'm sorry, this is so stupid. I'm sure you were sleeping. And now I'm rambling.. I'll let you go back to bed. Sorry Will."

" Clarke. Stop. Come in."

She nodded, and gave him that smile that he loved, walking into his house.

She had stood silent for a moment, as he shut the door behind them, she reached towards him, her hand cupping the side of his face. He was a little taken aback, but relaxed against her soft skin.

" Thank you." She whispered. " You're always here when I need you."

He had smiled at her, her blue eyes so startling in the dim light of his hallway.

" I'll always be here for you."

Her hand caressed his cheek, and they stood there for a while, just looking into each others eyes, not sure where to go from there.

That night she had fallen asleep against him, her head on his chest, arm draped across his stomach, and he had stayed awake for awhile holding her, thinking that he might like to do this more often. He wanted that back now, just wanted to go back to then, before he messed it up.

" Louisa?"

She turned around, startled, and stared at him with wide eyes, sputtering on the drink in her mouth.

" Will.. Hey! What are you doing here?"

" Just having a drink with some guys from work. What are you doing?"

" I'm just having a drink with a friend."

" I've missed you."

She had opened her mouth to say something, when someone stepped right in front of Will, grabbing Louisa's face and pressed his mouth up against hers sloppily. Instinctively , Will grabbed the man and shoved him backwards.

" Who the fuck are you? Keep your fucking hands off of her."

The man stood up from the floor, lunging at Will, striking him in the face. He heard Louisa screaming at him to stop, and shoved his own fist forward, hitting the guy back right in the jaw. He was knocked to the floor, clearly drunk. Security was already there grabbing him and pulling him back away from the man on the floor.

" I'm Patrick, her boyfriend. Who the fuck do you think you are?"

" Your boyfriend?" Will asked out loud, but he looked over and saw Louisa leaving through the backdoor.

He couldn't believe this. This guy had to be lying. Louisa didn't have a boyfriend. He shoved security off of him, in a desperate attempt to find her before she left for good.

" I'm done. I'm done. I'm leaving." He said taking one last look at Patrick being helped off of the floor, his nose bloodied, before hurrying out the back door to find Louisa.

It didn't take him long to find her though, as she was standing right outside of the door in the back alley behind the club, against the wall her head in her hands sobbing.

" Louisa?"

She shook her head at him not looking up.

" How long have you had a boyfriend?"

She looked up at him tears streaking her face. " Just a week."

His stomach was aching. This was not what he had expected at all.

" I'm sorry." He whispered. " I-I didn't know. I thought he was trying to hurt you."

He put his head in his hands, it wasn't supposed to be like this.

" I didn't know you had a boyfriend."

" I'm sorry." She said softly. Barely above a whisper.

He couldn't give up so easily. He knew this was his last chance.

" I miss you Louisa. I miss you so much. I want things to go back to the way they were before." He had stepped towards her, reaching for her cheek the way she did his that night.

Her skin was so soft against his hand, and he wondered if she would pull away when he made contact, but she didn't. She leaned into him a little and he brushed a tear off of her cheek.

" I actually want more than that. I want more than what we had before. Don't you?"

She looked at him with those eyes, and he waited, waited for what seemed like forever, and then finally she nodded.

He felt her hand against his waist pulling him towards her a little, and he tugged her chin a little closer. Her eyes were closed now, and her mouth was so close to his he could almost taste the strawberry lip gloss she was wearing.

" What the hell is going on out here?"

The door had burst open and there was Patrick. Louisa had pulled away from him so quickly that it felt like someone punching him in the stomach.

They had been so close. And now she was standing next to Patrick looking down. He shook his head at her, having to force the tears out of his eyes.

Patrick was holding the door open for Louisa to go back into the club with him now, and as Will walked away he looked back one more time, she was staring at him, mouth slightly open like she was going to say something. But he shook his head at her one last time and turned around, not glancing back once.


	5. Chapter 5

Will walked away feeling defeated, and angry. She had told him that she wanted more, she had pulled him closer to her, and she was going to kiss him. So why go with Patrick?

He was done trying though, he told himself that that would be the last attempt he would make to try and get her to see that they should be together. She had made up her mind and he needed to move on, to go back to the way he had been living before he had met her. Luckily he would be leaving for a month in two days to travel Australia for a month, somewhere he hadn't been yet, so he knew that would be enough to keep his mind off of her, and get over it completely.

Instead of going home, he skipped the subway ride back, and decided to walk. He took the long way, winding down back streets through the little town that he had grown to hate so much. It took an hour before he made it to the castle, and the maze. He stopped at its entrance. He used to love it as a child, spending hours learning it forwards and backwards, hiding in the hedges, sometimes spying on the tourists that would come through. He hated it now though, it made him sick to think back to that night, to remember Louisa laying there helplessly, crying, naked. He tried so hard sometimes to remember the faces of the men who were there hurting her, he thought if he saw one on the street that he would know exactly who it was, and he'd kill them. But in reality their faces were blank pages. He wouldn't knew who they were if they were standing right in front of him, and it made him so angry. They got away with what they did, and he would never be able to give her any justice. He thought about going in, and he stood there for a long time in the dark, thinking. But he couldn't do it. Couldn't picture her like that again. So he turned around and finished the walk home instead.

It was 1:30am before he finally walked up his driveway, he immediately stopped in his tracks when he saw someone sitting on his porch. He realized instantly that it was her. She was leaning sitting on the front steps, leaning against the railing, so he wasn't able to tell from a distance if she had fallen asleep or not. He wondered how long she had been there.

As he got closer she tilted her head up, and stood up quickly, clearly startled. Even though he was angry with her, though more at himself, he still worried about her, and hoped that nothing had happened to her.

" Louisa? You alright?"

They were standing face to face now, her eyes were red, and filled with uncertainty. She shook her head 'no'.

" Will... I don't want to pretend anymore." Her voice was so soft he could barely hear her.

" Pretend what?"

" I don't want to keep pretending that all of these things we've done together, all the things you've done for me, all this time we've spent... I don't want to keep pretending that they don't mean everything to me. I don't want to pretend that when I saw that woman in the restaurant kiss you that it didn't feel like a knife in my heart. Because it did.." She took a breath and he opened his mouth to respond, but she shook her head no again.

" Please, just let me say what I need to say before I lose all my courage."

He nodded, closing his mouth.

" I- I didn't even know that seeing something like that would hurt me, until I did. For all this time I kept telling myself that you were just my friend, my best friend.. But then I saw you with her, and it broke my heart."

Tears were spilling over her eyes now, and she quickly pushed them away with a gloved hand.

" It made me realize that you probably didn't have feelings for me, and that I definitely wasn't your type, seeing what she looked like. So, I just did everything to keep myself busy, trying to go out every night, whatever I could not to think about it.. And then I met Patrick and he asked me out.. I tried telling myself that he would be enough, he's a nice guy, good head on his shoulders. But then seeing you tonight, when you touched me, when you said you missed me.. I knew that it wasn't going to work. So here I am. And I need to know what you want. Because I know now what I want.. and I don't want to keep doing this if you don't."

He looked down at her for a long moment, taking in her beauty. Her hair, her lips, her pale skin against a nose that was red from being in the cold for way too long, and her eyes, they always got him.. He never wanted to see her cry again.

" I want you." He took a step closer to her, reaching his hand out to touch her cheek again. " I want us."

She exhaled.

" The woman at the restaurant.. That was nothing. Really. I didn't mean to hurt you, I would never want to hurt you.. You mean everything to me."

She put her hand against his, holding it against her face, and gave him the sweetest smile.

" Can I finally kiss you?"

" Please." She whispered.

He pulled her close to him with his free hand, his fingers running through her hair. She pressed her lips against his, softly and slowly at first, wrapping her arms around his neck. She melted into him, her hands traveling through his hair, pulling him closer. She kissed him faster, more intense, his head was spinning, she was so intoxicating, it was more than he imagined it would be. Her mouth was so soft against his, she smelled like coconut and flowers and everything good. She moaned as he slipped his tongue against hers, and he couldn't think at all. They kissed for hours, maybe minutes, he wasn't sure. He realized though that she was shaking at some point, and that she must have been freezing.

He pulled back slowly from her, not wanting the moment to pass.

" Louisa. You're freezing cold."

" I'm feeling much warmer now." She smiled.

" How long were you out here?"

" Probably like two hours. Not sure. Fell asleep on your porch. I only woke up because a twig snapped as you walked up. Scared the daylights out of me."

" Christ Clarke. You should have called me. You shouldn't be out here by yourself."

" I did call you! Only like 15 times maybe. Sent a couple of texts too."

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, she wasn't lying. It had been set to silent instead of vibrate.

" I'm so sorry. I didn't hear it." He pulled her back up against him so he could hold her.

" Will you stay tonight?"

" Only if you want me to."

He laced his fingers with hers and kissed the top of her head. " I might not ever let you leave."

She took her coat off when they got inside, and hurried to the couch to cuddle under a blanket.

" I knew you were freezing. Do you want something to drink?"

" Just water please."

He brought her drink to her and sat next to her, putting his arm around her shoulder. She curled into his lap, lifting her face to kiss him again slowly.

" I missed you so much."

" I'm sorry I messed everything up.. The only reason I took Alicia out was because I thought that you only wanted to be friends. I just- I was just trying to make myself stop thinking about you. I don't want you to think that I would ever cheat on you, or do anything like that.. My father does that to my mother, and I'd never. If I had thought you'd wanted us to be together I never would have done that."

" Maybe if we weren't both so stubborn." She smiled up at him, and squeezed her a little tighter.

" I know we missed Christmas." She said. " But I got you a present."

" Clarke.. I told you not to get me anything."

" It's nothing really." She stood up reaching for her purse. " Well actually I got you two presents."

She came back handing him two packages wrapped neatly covered in snowmen. She sat back into his arms a big smile on her face.

" Go on Will, open it."

He smiled at her excitement, and opened up the first one as slowly as he could.

" Will!" She squealed, hitting him playfully on the arm. " Come on."

" Okay, okay." He looked down, it was a framed picture of him and Louisa in front of the ocean. He remembered the day well, he had driven her down to the beach, and even though it had been just a little too cold to get in the water, they had still managed to have a good time. He hadn't even remembered they she had asked an older couple to take their photo. But here it was, he had his arm around her shoulder, his head rested on hers, and she was smiling from ear to ear with both her arms wrapped around his waist.

" You're beautiful." He said looking down at her, she was flushed a deep red.

" You might need glasses." She laughed softly and he shook his head at her.

" No. You really are. So beautiful." He whispered as his lips connected with hers again. He was fighting an internal battle with himself to not tell her that he loved her. It was probably too soon. But he did, he loved her, he had from the moment he met her.

"Mmm." She pulled back from him with slightly swollen lips. " Open the other one."

He sighed, not wanting to stop touching her. The other present he opened was an envelope.

" Louisa.. I hope you didn't spend any money on me."

She didn't respond, and waited until he opened it up. He read through it and looked back up at her.

" I know you said you loved sky diving, and you had only gotten to do it the once. So I found a place in Australia that offers it near where you are staying."

He smiled and hugged her tightly.

" You shouldn't have done this."

" I want you to have fun, and come back and tell me all about it. I'm going to miss you so much, but I'll be right here when you get back. Unless you happen to find some model while you're over there." She was smiling up at him, and he could see the slightest bit of sadness. He didn't want to leave her again for one second.

" I got you a gift too." He reluctantly pulled away from her, he walked back to his bedroom and found the little envelope he had set aside for her, with a black and yellow bow since she loved bumblebees so much.

" Will, you really didn't have to get me anything. You've done so much for me."

" Just open it."

He stood in front of her as she tried to hide her excitement, once she had opened it she sat staring at it for a good two minutes before looking up, her eyes wide, and a little teary.

" What is this?" She whispered, though she already knew.

" I want you to come with me to Australia. I bought your ticket when I got mine. I don't want to be without you, not for a day, not for a month. I want to go on adventures with you, I want to spend this time with you, just us. Let me show you how good this could be.. What do you say?"

A single tear ran down her cheek, and she looked down at the plane ticket, then back up at him and shook her head.

" Yes. Yes."


	6. Chapter 6

* I am so sorry that I have not updated this story in so long. I can't believe it's been months. Thank you for all of your reviews. There will be a couple of more chapters after this. This is the first chapter told from Louisa's point of view. Hope you like it!*

Louisa stepped out of the cab and let the cool night air wash over her, taking away all the anxiety and nervousness she had been feeling all day. She had finally escaped the constrains of her little town, and though she had always loved it before, it had suffocated her for months now. Sometimes since that night in the maze she found it almost impossible to step out of the house. The fear would overwhelm her, and she was transported back to that moment, the pulling of her hair, the hand that grabbed her wrist as hard as it could yanking her to the ground, the violent kisses, the tearing of her dress and underwear. The laughter and taunting- the screaming- her own- helpless sobs.

" Louisa?" She shivered violently as she came out of the memory. Will was looking back at her, face full of concern. " You okay?"

She smiled brightly at him. She finally was really okay. " Yes. I'm sorry. Just tired I think."

It was hard to read his expression, he seemed a little disappointed, but she wasn't sure.

" Well our hotel is just right down the street, lets head in."

" Wait.. I know it's late.. But can we go down to the beach for a minute? I just see it there, calling my name."

He smiled then. " Well I guess we can't ignore it then can we Clark?"

She laughed and ran past him, down the short pathway to the sand. She noticed that there was no one else around, and dropped her suitcases behind her, she looked back quickly to see Will shaking his head at her, and heard a " Oh what the hell?" And heard his footsteps behind her, gaining on her as she got closer to the water, she squealed loudly as she could feel him right behind her, his hands wrapped around her waist swinging her in a circle, feet skimming the cool ocean.

" I ran track in high school." He laughed into her ear, breathless.

" Guess, I can't escape you then."

" Only if you really want to."

They stopped spinning, and she shook her head 'no' running her hand down his cheek.

" Are you sure you're okay Louisa? I know we're along way from home, and will be for a while. If you change your mind at all and don't want to be here, please tell me."

" Will. I promise you, all I want is to be here with you. I haven't been this excited about something forever I don't think."

He smiled down at her with those warm blue eyes she could swim in forever.

" Me either."

She leaned up, kissing him softly as he wrapped her tight against him, and let herself relax for the first time in forever, exhaling as the salty air washed over her, and his hands ran through her hair. She wanted to freeze herself in this moment here with him, to never stop feeling the way she did now, completely free and safe.

They stayed for a while together, sitting in the sand, not saying much, but taking in the calm of the ocean and the absence of anyone else. After a while she felt a nudge against her shoulder, she had fallen asleep on his shoulder, not sure how long she had been there.

" Hey. You're exhausted. Let's head up now okay?"

She nodded and took his hand. Looking back at the ocean one more time before grabbing her suitcase.

" It'll be there tomorrow. I promise. And so blue you wouldn't believe."

She stayed close next to Will as they walked back to the hotel, the streets were mostly dark and everything was closed. She wondered what it would be like tomorrow, what places she could explore in this brand new place, completely untouched by either of them. Will stopped suddenly, and looked up.

" Here we are."

She gasped, looking up at the skyscraper of a hotel, that looked like a mansion more than anything else. It was clear that he hadn't spared a penny on this place.

" Oh, Will.." She didn't know what to say. " I feel like, like I owe you something. I can't even imagine how expensive.."

" Stop. You don't owe me anything. Money truly isn't an issue.. All that I want is for you to have a good time. I don't want you to worry about anything. You deserve the world."

She felt herself blushing a deep red, and nodded. She didn't want him to think that she was using him for his money. She remembered when he saved her, and he had told her his name, she recognized it instantly. The Traynor's were the most well off family in the town, hell, they owned the castle. And she had read so much about Will in their local newspaper, he was almost a celebrity. Always closing some big business deal. Her dad had mentioned him before, he worked for that "shit company" that was stealing everyone's jobs. She never imagined in her wildest dreams that she would be here with him traveling, together in the way that they were. It was clear to her now that it was going to take a lot of getting used to being with someone that had this level of success, while she had none. A 23 year old with all of the world at his feet, daring and brave, and an 18 year old with no life experience and a heart full of fear.

She hung back as Will talked to the front desk person, this truly was a gorgeous place.

" Ready?"

They road the elevator up to the 30th floor, and she bit her lip in silent anticipation.

" You think the room will be nice?" He asked. Louisa rolled her eyes. "Seriously? This place is a dump."

They both laughed and He kissed her quickly on the forehead and unlocked their door.

She couldn't help but think this was more like a celebrity penthouse than a hotel. It was gorgeous, and she let herself imagine what it would be like to live like this.

" What do you think?"

" I love it. Do we ever have to leave?"

He laughed. " I'm going to get changed, do you need anything?"

" No, I'll do the same."

She noticed that there were two beds in the room, and she wondered if he had done that on purpose. Truthfully she didn't want to sleep without him. She had only spent a handful of nights falling asleep with him, and none while they had ever been together romantically, but it was all she wanted now. He was the only one who could keep her nightmares away.

She changed quickly before he came out of the bathroom, and sat on the edge of the bed, unsure of what to do.

" Shall we get some rest then? We have so much ahead of us." She nodded, as he walked up to her, reaching his arm behind her head.

" I'm so glad you're here with me Louisa."

" Me too. More than you know." He kissed her in that slow way that he did, the way that made her knees weak.

" You can have whichever bed you like. Would you prefer the one next to the window?"

She hesitated. " Can I lay with you?"

He nodded, and smiled. " You don't have to ask." He sat back on the bed, opening the covers for her to climb in next to him.

" I know I said this before." He started, as she curled herself into him, breathing out slowly as his arms wrapped around her and their legs intertwined. " But I really have missed you so much. It wasn't the same without you around."

" I missed you, I wanted to run to you so many times. To just show up at midnight and eat those terribly fattening desserts and watch all the french movies with you."

" I wanted you to."

His hands ran up and down her back, and through her hair, while she let herself get lost in his kisses. If there was anything she knew for sure it was that she was completely and hopelessly in love with Will Traynor.


	7. Chapter 7

I know it's been over a year since I updated this story, but I ended up catching Me Before You on amazon the other night and got inspired to write a little bit more. I may try to add a few more chapters soon!

Louisa rolled over in her bed, drool across her chin and blurry eyes to check the alarm clock.

4:30pm

" 4:30!" She screamed out, realizing that she had slept over half of her first day in Australia. She scooted to the window and glanced out to make sure she hadn't misread the clock. But it was correct, as it was a bright beautiful day out, tons of people filled the streets below, moving in and out of shops, chatting away with friends, and here she was in bed with an entire day of vacation wasted.

" Will?!" She called out loud, trying to hold back a sob. He was nowhere to be found, and it broke her heart realizing he had probably gone out on some adventure without her. He was probably pissed that he wasted this ticket on her.

" Coming." She heard him call from the bathroom, and let out a sigh of relief as he came out, with just a towel on drying his shaggy hair.

" Oh Will I'm so sorry. I've wasted the whole day. I can't believe it. I'm so sorry."

" Please don't be sorry. I just woke up an hour ago. You were exhausted. We both were. We're here for a month Louisa. I figured maybe tonight we could go out for dinner, and spend the night relaxing on the beach. What do you say?"

She smiled, and nodded. " I'd love that." He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

" Good. Why don't you go take a nice long shower, and we'll get ready. Wear a bathing suit underneath."

When they arrived at the restaurant she gasped. It was beautiful. Right on the ocean and so fancy. A place she would've never been able to afford. She said a silent prayer that he wouldn't ask her to pay. She certainly didn't expect for him to carry her the whole way, but she knew she couldn't manage this.

" Will." She whispered tugging his arm gently from behind.

" Yes, Clarke?"

" I don't think that I can afford this." She was flushed a deep red from embarrassment. She hadn't thought about it until now, but a month of living alone together, she wasn't going to be able to hide much about her situation. He had a continuous flow of money. She had absolutely none.

" Hey." He pulled her chin up. " Listen to me. I've got this. I've got everything okay? I don't want you to worry about anything while we're here. Just let me take care of you."

" But, I just feel so bad. I don't want you to think badly of me Will. I don't want you to think that I just care about money. We could do nothing together and I would still be happy."

" We've been hanging out for about eight months now. Never once have you asked me for anything. Please don't fight me on this. Plus what good is all this money if I can't spend it on my lady?" He smiled, and nudged her playfully on the arm.

" I'm serious though Louisa. I've got it. I've got you always."

She stopped walking then, and couldn't think of the right words to say, so she wrapped her arms around him, and buried her face in his chest.

" Let's go have dinner baby." He said softly in her ear.

When they left the restaurant, the sun had set and there was a wonderful breeze that filled the air.

" I think it's going to rain soon. Want to try to get in the water before it's too late?"

" I'd love that." She smiled up at him, as he started to lift his shirt off.

" I'll beat you to it." He laughed and started racing off towards the beach.

" Will!" She screamed and kicked off her heels, yanking her dress over her head as quickly as she could, tripping slightly as she tried to catch up with him.

He stopped suddenly, and turned around, waiting for her. She ran towards him giggling, as he picked her up and spun her in circles.

" Are you happy?" He whispered, lowering her down. She reached up, bringing his chin towards her face.

" I've never felt this way before." He pressed his mouth to hers, kissing her deeply, in a way he hadn't before. With more eagerness, and desire. It made her knees go weak, and butterflies explode in her stomach.

She shoved her hands into his hair, pulling him closer to her. She wanted something more now, to be touched, to be intimate.

" Mmm." He pulled his mouth away gently, still holding her tight. "I..." He trailed off and she waited.

" You what?" she said breathlessly.

" Nevermind. It's nothing. Let's swim for a bit." He held her hand and pulled her forward with him.

They swam together for a while, without saying anything. He would pull her back every once in a while to kiss her, and she would swim back to hug him, or hold onto his back. Eventually it started to get cold, and darker. He took her hand and led her back to one of the open chairs on the beach with an umbrella overhead. It had started to rain now to and she shivered from the chill.

He grabbed a towel that he had brought with them and wrapped it around her.

"Would you like to stay with me for a while out here? It's so peaceful."

" Yes, please."

He smiled and laid back in the chair, opening his arms to hold her in his lap.

It had started to pour around them, but they stayed safe underneath of the umbrella. He gently stroked her back, and she stayed silent, listening to the sound of his heartbeat against her ear, and the rain and ocean pounding away, just the two of them alone together.

He was the calm in the storm for her, just like he had been the night they met, and she soaked in the moment, because she couldn't imagine you could experience many things quite as good as laying there with him right then.

She looked up at him and caught him staring at her with a serious look on his face.

" Come closer."

She moved closer to him, lips only a millimeter away. She shivered as he moved his hand down her jaw.

" You're so beautiful."

" You must need glasses." She giggled.

" Don't do that. You are." He kissed her slowly, and she pushed it farther, gently moving her tongue into his mouth.

" I want you so much." She said looking at him wide eyed.

" Louisa. I... We don't have to do that you know. I'm not in a rush. I want you to feel safe, and to be ready for something that."

" You're the only person that makes me feel safe."

" Have you ever done that before?"

" Twice. But he never talked to me again after the second time, so I must've been bad at it." She let out a small chuckle, but in reality it had really hurt her. She had thought he had liked her a lot, maybe even loved her. But he wouldn't even give her a second glance in the hallway afterwards.

" No. It wasn't you. It was him. He didn't deserve you."

" He didn't care about me." She admitted, to him and to herself.

" I do though. More than anyone, or anything." He paused for a minute, placing a strand of her hair behind her ear. " I don't know really know if I'm supposed to wait to say this. If it's too soon.. But I love you, I've pretty much been helpless over you since the night we met. And I really want you to know that I would do anything for you, and that you're everything to me."

Her heart pounded against her chest and she just looked at him for a moment. He searched her eyes, and looked so anxious, nervous even waiting for a response.

" And I love you. I love you so much Will. So much." He gave her that gorgeous smile, and kissed her so passionately it made her head spin. " Let's go back to the room."

They raced back to the hotel together, laughing, dancing. This couldn't be her life. On this dream vacation with someone so handsome, and so caring, that loved her the same way she loved him. It didn't feel real, but somehow it was.

When they reached the inside of the elevator she jumped up on him, wrapping her legs tight around him. Planting kisses on his cheek, forehead, lips, neck, anywhere she could find.

" You don't know what you do to me."

" But I do actually." She laughed. " You do the same to me."

He carried her to the room, as soon as they shut the door behind them they were a frenzy of lips, hands, giggles, and sweet nothings. She felt her hands shaking as she began to unbutton his shirt, but he gently stopped her.

" Hey. We don't have to do this. We have all the time in the world. Just being here with you is enough for me."

" I want to. I want this so much."

" You're sure?"

" Yes. 100 percent."

He didn't say anything else, but helped her to finish unbuttoning his shirt. She gently lifted her dress over her head, and he pulled her against him.

" You're perfect."

The experience of being with Will was so different then what she had been through before. He went slowly as he undressed her. Touching and kissing her in places that no one had. He was careful with every movement, focusing on her completely.

" Will." She breathed in sharply as he ran his hand along her inner thigh.

" Is this okay?"

" Please don't stop."

She could barely stand anymore as he touched her. She swore she probably moaned out his name a thousand times, and he kissed her, trying to hide back a smile. He lifted her up, carrying her to the bed. He laid her down, and pulled off his boxers, removing the last layer between them.

" Do you want to keep going? It's okay if you don't. This has already been more than I could've hoped for."

" I don't want you to stop. Please keep going, I want this more than anything."

As he pushed gently into her, she felt everything fall away. The fear, the shame, the anxiety she had felt for the last eight months. It was gone. All that was there was him and her in this moment, and she was safe now.

When it was over he pulled her into his arms and wrapped the blanket tight around them.

" Are you okay?" He asked, running a hand through her hair.

" I don't think I've ever been better." She smiled up at him. " I love you so much."

" I love you. It's going to be a good life if I get to spend every night just like this."

" It'll be the best." She whispered.

They spent the rest of the night talking, making love before she fell asleep wrapped in his arms, totally safe and free.


	8. Chapter 8

" Okay, so we jump on the count of 3 okay?"

" I can't do it Will. I can't." The panic in her voice was rising, and her hand was shaking against his.

" Yes you can. You can do anything."

She shook her head violently at him, and he had to bite his lip to supress his laughter. " I'm so scared."

They were standing at the top of a cliff with a large body of water underneath. He had checked it out first to make sure that it would be safe for them to jump, and once he had cleared it they took the long hike up together. She had seemed so excited and eager at first, but now she was terrified.

" Clarke, I promise you, I checked it out and there's nothing down there that will hurt you. I've been cliff diving many times, You will love it." She grasped his arm so tightly he was pretty sure she'd break the skin.

She looked on the verge of tears and he felt bad that he was forcing her to do this.

" Okay. It's okay. We don't have to do this. Let's just go back down and swim okay?"

" Oh Will." She sighed, and leaned over a little bit looking at the drop. " Do you promise that we'll be okay?"

" Please trust me. I will never let anyone or anything hurt you. Not ever. I promise."

She nodded. " Okay. Let's do it then."

He smiled and leaned down, kissing her cheek.

" Alright. On the count of three." She closed her eyes and he heard her take in a sharp breath.

" I- 2- 3!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as he pulled her down with him andthey plunged to the water. The water was cold and their hands disconnected as they went underneath. He pushed back up and resurfaced to see her, smiling , probably one of the biggest and brightest smiles he had ever seen from anyone.

" Will that was so fun!" He laughed and she swam over to him wrapping herself around him.

It was hard to put into words exactly how much she meant to him. He felt connected to her on a deeper level then anyone else he had ever met. He just wanted to protect her, love her, and do anything to make her happy.

" See I told you, I'm never going to let anything happen to you."

" I know." She whispered, resting her head against his shoulder. " You've always protected me."

" Always will."

-

They had been hiking uptrail for at least half an hour when he finally saw the spot he had been looking for. It was a large sitting rock hanging out directly over the ocean. No one else around. The water was a beautiful blue and the only sound was the waves and a small waterfall that had formed on the cliff across from them.

" Oh Will." She breathed. " This is so beautiful."

He smiled at her, and opened up his backpack, He had bought a bottle of wine and a blanket. " Would you like to have a drink with me?"

She nodded and sat next to him kissing him softly before he poured her a glass.

" I love you Will. This has just been so wonderful."

" I love you. I can't tell you how happy you've made me. Being with you like this is the best thing I could've imagined."

She blushed and reached out for his hand, intertwining their fingers. " Come here." He gently pulled her into his lap resting his head on top of hers. He held her for a long time in the quiet, she traced tiny shapes on his neck,

" You know the night we met?"

" Yes. Unfortunately." He kissed the top of her head and gave her a tight squeeze. He hated thinking of it, it hurt his heart to remember it.

She looked up at him and he was surprised to find her eyes were streaked with tears. " I was just thinking about it last night. My life was so bad back then. I was so depressed, and just trying to get attention from anywhere. Hanging out with people who didn't care about me and drinking. And I just never thought that anything like that would happen to me.. But it did. And then you came along and you saved me from the worst thing that I would've probably ever experienced. I mean they could've killed me if they wanted to... And I'm just so thankful for you. You make me feel like I could do anything I want to, or be anything. I would've never done anything like what we did today. But you make me feel so safe, and I'm just so lucky."

He rested his forehead against hers.

" I'm the lucky one. I needed you way more than you needed me. I didn't know what I was missing until you came along."

And it was true because he had been missing out on a lot. He had never in his life had someone who had genuinely cared what he had to say, or who was so excited just to see him everyday. He remembered the last time she had come over before he had messed everything up with Alicia.

He had heard the ring on the doorbell. 11pm on a Friday night. He knew it was her. He opened the door and there she was holding some kind of cheesecake she had made.

" Hi Will!" She exclaimed. Smiling ear to ear.

" Hey. Just getting off of work?"

" Yes. Were you sleeping?"

" No, just watching a movie. Did you walk here by yourself?"

" Yes, but i was careful."

" Louisa.. You know I have a car right? I can pick you up anytime, anywhere. It doesn't matter how late. Please just call me. I don't want you to get hurt."

" I'm sorry. I just missed you so much. And work was really slow today, so I made you a cake." He had even felt himself blush at her admission. He had missed her to even though it had only been two nights since he saw her last.

He sighed. " I missed you too. Come in. I rented a movie for us to watch and left you dinner in the microwave. I thought you might come." She had smiled so brightly at him and hugged one arm around his neck.

" Did you have a good day at work?" She asked, heading straight to the counter to cut him a slice of cake.

" Same old, same old."

" Oh." She sat down close to him and handed it to him. " I thought you had a big meeting today with your new client?"

He remembered being surprised that she would even remember something so small. He had told her that over a week ago.

" I did. I got it. 5 million dollar deal."

" Oh Will!" She squealed throwing her arms around his neck. " Oh I'm so proud of you. That's so exciting. Congratulations!"

He couldn't hide his smile from her, and he hugged her back tightly. He had never had someone that shared excitement over his work, and even when he tried to downplay things, he was actually really excited about this deal.

" Thank you Clarke."

" What should we do to celebrate?"

" What do you say to a few glasses of wine?"

" I'd love that so much." She paused and placed a hand on his arm. " I'm so happy for you."

He smiled to himself remembering that night, and reached down lifting her chin up to kiss her. " Mmm. I don't want to leave."

" Oh, you don't want to go back to the hotel with me and cuddle a bit?" She bit her lip playfully.

"Okay. Well maybe I'll leave for that."

She laughed. " I had dreamed of you touching me the way you did last night for so long."

He ran his hand up her leg, " Yeah?"

She nodded. " Well lucky for you. I could do that every night for the rest of my life and not get tired of it." And that was true. He had not expected her to want be intimate with him yet. He had personally had no sexual encounters since before the night he had found her in the maze. It had scared him enough to lose all interest for a while, scared him enough that he had completely held back all of his emotions for her for so long. He had never wanted her to worry that he would be the same as the men in the maze, or that she she should feel any pressure to take things with him further than she wanted to. But then last night it had all changed.

He remembered in extremely vivid detail the way her leg shook as he ran his hand up her thigh, the sharp intake of breath when he kissed her neck. The way she softly breathed his name and trailed her nails up his back as he entered her for the first time.

" Please go slow." She whispered.

" I'll do anything you want me to."

Her skin was so soft, he felt every goosebump that crept up her body as he kissed down her neck past her stomach. " Oh Will."

" Do you like this?" He looked up at her and smiled, her eyes were closed and she bit her bottom lip.

" I love it."

She had wrapped her legs tight around him and arched her back so that she was completely pressed against him. He could barely form a thought or a word to say as she breathed heavily in his ear.

" I need you so much." He rolled them over so that she was over him.

" You can have me forever if you want me." She kissed his hand and ran it down her neck. He shook his head 'no.'

" That's not long enough for me."

" I've never felt like this." He carefully sat up against the headboard, with her close against his chest. She arched her neck against him as he gently pressed his mouth against the spot where it connected to her shoulder.

" I never have either. I love you so much." He reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers together.

" It feels good to hear you say that."

" Well I do. More than anyone. You're the most beautiful, kind, and strong person I've ever met. I don't want to let you go."

" I don't ever want you to."

And after hours had passed and they were completely spent, he pulled the blankets around them and let her rest in his arms. There was no more words that needed to be said, and he just looked at her for a long time, until they were to heavy to hold open anymore. She kissed him one more time and hugged him a little tighter before they both drifted off together.

He snapped out of his revelry from the previous night and caught her giving him a small grin as she pulled her dress back on and began to pack up to head back for the evening.

" What were you thinking about?"

" Just you." She blushed a deep red and he smiled to himself following her down back down the trail.


End file.
